If you had R10000 to blow on new notebook, what would you choose?

antowan

antowan

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If you had R10000 to blow on new notebook, what would you choose?

The catch! It has got to be able to play current 3D action games...
 
I don't think you'll get satisfactory performance for that kind of price.
 
An Acer.

You can get decent Acers for that price.
 
antowan said:
If you had R10000 to blow on new notebook, what would you choose?

The catch! It has got to be able to play current 3D action games...
Click to expand...


HP Pavilion range are decent for R10k, I have one, and I know a couple of other people who are happy with theirs.

Are you registered with Tarsus?? They have this for R8499:

KN773EA PAVILION dv6735ei Core 2 Duo T8300 2.4 GHz 2048MB 160GB DVD+/-RW 15.4" Vista HOME Premium 1~1~0 WH2

"HP Pavilion dv6-1020ei Intel® Pentium® Dual Core Processor T3400(2.16 GHz) 15.6"" Diagonal High Definition HP Brightview Display 2048 MB DDRII (2x1024 MB) 160 GB SATA 5400 rpm , Lightscribe Super Multi DVD Writer (+/-R +/-RW) with Double Layer
support NVIDIA GeForce 9200M GS 512MB (Up to 1278 MB Total Available) WebCam Mic Media Remote Integrated 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN WLAN Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium 1.1.0" R 7,999.00

HP Pavilion dv6-1130ei Intel® Pentium® Processor T4200(2.0 GHz) 15.6" Diagonal High Definition HP Brightview Display 3072 MB (1x1024 MB + 1x2048 MB) 320 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive 5400 rpm Lightscribe Super Multi DVD Writer (+/-R +/-RW) with Double Layer support ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4530 (Up to 1790 MB total graphics memory with 512 MB dedicated) 5.1 Integrated Digital Media Reader Webcam with Mic Media Remote Integrated 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN WLAN Bluetooth® Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium 1.1.0 R 8,499.00
 
R10k isn't exactly a mindblowing amount of money for a gaming notebook.
 
Toshiba Satellite 15.4" WXGA TruBrite - A300D-17E High Brightness Display N/B

A300D-17E AMD Turion X 2 Dual Core RM-72 2.1GHz
2GB + 2GB (DDR2 667) / 320GB SATA HDD / DVD/RW Super Multi Drive
ATi Mobility Radeon HD3650 W/512MB / Wireless Lan 802.11b/g, Bluetooth
Dc-In / Ext Mon / RJ-11 / RJ-45 / TV-Out / iEEE1394 / Ext Mic / 1 x Express Card Slot
H-Phone / S/PDIF / 4 x USB / 1.3 Mega Pixel Web Cam / 5-in-1 Bridge Media Slot
Vista Home Premium
W x L x H: 363 x 267 x 38.5mm / 2.7Kg
 
antowan said:
If you had R10000 to blow on new notebook, what would you choose?

The catch! It has got to be able to play current 3D action games...
Click to expand...

Hi antowan, are you willing to import?

The best deal would be an Gateway or MSI. I have done a lot of research lately and spent R10 000 yesterday on the gateway fx 7805u

Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor1 P8400 (2.26GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 3MB L2 Cache)2
Genuine Microsoft® Windows Vista® Home Premium (64-bit) with SP1
4096MB 1066MHz DDR3 Dual Channel Memory (2-2048MB modules)
320GB 7200RPM SATA hard drive5
Chassis with NVIDIA® GeForce® 9800M GTS Graphics with 1GB of GDDR3 Discrete Video Memory and Intel® PM45 Chipset
Intel® WiFi Link 5100AGN 802.11a/g/Draft-N Wireless LAN
 
Cloud said:
Heynnow, that is an amazing laptop - did the R10 000 include shipping and all that?
Click to expand...

To be exact, R10 200 included the shipping. The shipping was +- R900

I have a document from customs that state that only 14% vat will be applied and a clearance fee ( R20 - R150)

Even with all those costs factored in, its still amazing.
There is only one flaw to the plan, there is no support for gateway in RSA, so you will need to ship the laptop back to the USA if something breaks.

My philosophy, I know very good technicians that will fix my laptop for me if it breaks. If I spend R11 500 on a system that costs +- R30 000, I dont mind paying R1000 - R2000 for repairs during the course of its life.

If the support is an issue, I would highly recommend the MSI GT627($1000) or MSI GT725($1300) . They are the second best being offered currently. There is a good chance that they might have international warranty and these models are avaiable here for R20 000 + .

The only problem is the resolutions are still lower than the gateway. Another alternative might be the ASUS G51 for ($1049) Also a sick pc! Just the screen resolution is sub HD.

Here is some more info on the ASUS G51
Intel® Centrino® 2 processor technology with interrelated Intel® Core™2 Duo processor P7350
Intel® PM45 chipset, 802.11b/g/n network connection and extended battery life capability.
Intel® Intelligent Power capability and Deep Power Down Technology
Reduce power consumption and help extend battery life to keep you on the go farther between charges.
4GB PC2-6400 DDR2 memory
For multitasking power; 1066MHz frontside bus, 3MB L2 cache and 2.0GHz processor speed.
Multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW drive with double-layer support
Records up to 8.5GB of data or 4 hours of video using compatible media.
15.6" WXGA widescreen LED display
With a 1366 x 768 resolution brings your movies and games to life.
320GB SATA hard drive (7200 rpm)
Provides plenty of storage space and fast read/write times.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M graphics
With 1GB of dedicated DDR3 graphics memory for powerful graphic performance. Azalia audio chip with built-in stereo speakers; HDMI output.
See the benefits of an NVIDIA graphics processor in your laptop.
Built-in 1.3-megapixel webcam
Makes it easy to send video mail to family and friends.
Facial recognition security
Uses the built-in webcam and software to help keep your laptop safe.
8-in-1 media reader
Supports Secure Digital, miniSD, MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick, xD-Picture Card, Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick Duo and Memory Stick PRO Duo for easy transfer of your digital photos.
1 IEEE 1394 port and 4 high-speed USB 2.0 ports
For fast digital video, audio and data transfer.
Built-in 10/100 Mbps Ethernet LAN with RJ-45 connector
Ensures easy Internet connectivity.
Illuminated keyboard
Provides improved key visibility for an enhanced gaming experience.
Weighs 7.3 lbs. and measures just 1.6" thin
For portable power.
Good battery life
Of up to 2 hours and 7 minutes.
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition 64-bit operating system
With Service Pack 1 (SP1) preinstalled for a stable operating platform.
Software package included
With Power 4 Gear, Life-Frame 3, CyberLink Power2Go, Adobe Acrobat Reader 8 and more.
Intel, Pentium, Celeron, Centrino, Core, Viiv, Intel Inside and the Intel Inside logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.

A great site that ships international is www.provantage.com

hope that helps!
 
heynnow said:
Hi antowan, are you willing to import?

The best deal would be an Gateway or MSI. I have done a lot of research lately and spent R10 000 yesterday on the gateway fx 7805u

Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor1 P8400 (2.26GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 3MB L2 Cache)2
Genuine Microsoft® Windows Vista® Home Premium (64-bit) with SP1
4096MB 1066MHz DDR3 Dual Channel Memory (2-2048MB modules)
320GB 7200RPM SATA hard drive5
Chassis with NVIDIA® GeForce® 9800M GTS Graphics with 1GB of GDDR3 Discrete Video Memory and Intel® PM45 Chipset
Intel® WiFi Link 5100AGN 802.11a/g/Draft-N Wireless LAN
Click to expand...

Did you use provantage to purchase this lappy?

I also looking around for a gaming lappy. Work gets kind of boring at times (Especially from 8am - 4pm).

Oh and @Chris_H, a desktop is kind of heavy and bulky to lug around. ;)

Edit: Just saw this in the classifieds: http://mybroadband.co.za/classifieds/showproduct.php/product/11120/cat/3
 
Last edited:
Jase said:
Did you use provantage to purchase this lappy?

I also looking around for a gaming lappy. Work gets kind of boring at times (Especially from 8am - 4pm).

Oh and @Chris_H, a desktop is kind of heavy and bulky to lug around. ;)

Edit: Just saw this in the classifieds: http://mybroadband.co.za/classifieds/showproduct.php/product/11120/cat/3
Click to expand...

I didnt use ProVantage, I bought mine off EBAY. I specifically wanted the one with the WUXGA 1920 x 1200 resolution. When you buy them off ProVantage, you are not guaranteed to get the high RES model. Earlier models all came out with 1920 x 1200 but later they put the lower resolution screens in, which are still brilliant to save some money.

The benefit of buying from ProVantage is that they ship via DHL, which is much quicker than USPS. You will be looking at +- $140 for shipping a laptop from USA and pay a clearance fee of +- R150, furthermore you will pay 14% vat on the item.

Take the MSI GT627 for instance.

Here is the SPECS:
GT725 Notebook with the latest Intel Centrino 2 Processor Technology (2.4GHz, 1066MHz, 3MB); Windows Vista Home Premium; Intel PM45+ICH9-M Chipset; 4GB RAM (2GB x 2 DDR2 667/800); 17" WSXGA+/Glare (1680 x 1050) TFT-LCD Widescreen Display with Built-in 2.0 Mega Pixel Webcam; ATi Mobility Radeon HD 4850 3D Graphic Card with 512 MB VRAM; 320GB SATA 7200rpm HDD; DVD+/-RW Drive; HD quality (4 speakers + 1 subwoofer) Audio & Dolby Digital Live; 56K Modem, 10/100/1000 Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wireless LAN with Bluetooth; 4-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS Pro); PCI ExpressCard slot; HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) Output; 9-cell Li-Ion Battery & 120W AC Adapter; 15.56"(L) x 10.95"(W) x 1.04" 1.38"(H), 7.35 lbs. I/O ports include (3) USB 2.0, (1) eSATA/USB Combo, (1) IEEE-1394a/FireWire, (1) 15-pin VGA, (1) HDMI, Audio (mic-in, line-in, headphone).

Cost: $1350.00
shipping: $143.50
Vat 14% of cost $189.00
--------
$1682.5

conversion (8:1) = R13460 + clearance fee of R150 = R13610

for a Pc that cost between R20 000 and R30 000 in RSA. The only grey area is the warranty, but if it is INTL warranty, we are being ripped off.

The ACER models are good for business, but if you want a high performance machine, STAY AWAY! Go Gateway, MSI or ASUS. ( they all have the nice graphics cards, 9800m GS or up)
 
Not too concerned with getting it shipped. I work with a bunch of yanks and I can get one of them to bring it in.

but now you have me thinking, perhaps MSI or ASUS ... :/
 
Jase said:
Not too concerned with getting it shipped. I work with a bunch of yanks and I can get one of them to bring it in.

but now you have me thinking, perhaps MSI or ASUS ... :/
Click to expand...

All I know of the ASUS is that the G50 and G70 have major issues as their graphics cut out at some temperature. Apparently it has been solved with G51.

THis thing is a monster: http://www.provantage.com/asus-g51vx-a1~7ASUL0KQ.htm

Its $600 more expensive than Bestbuy because of quadcore and high resolution 1920x1080. THe one on bestbuy has a 1366 x 768 res.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...s+g51&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1218092150636

From what I heard, The MSI's have great sound and performance, but some people reported bleeding on the screen. I would still go with the gateways! http://www.gateway.com/systems/series/529598056.php?cmpid=ms_pseries
 
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